The Mornington Cup is the likely next stop for Annus Mirabilis
The Mornington Cup is the likely next stop for Annus Mirabilis who is being aimed at the Adelaide and Sydney Cups double.
The six-year-old won the Adelaide Cup over 3200 metres eight days ago and with the $2 million Sydney Cup over the same distance not until April 8, trainer Stuart Webb is preparing to run him in Saturday’s $300,000 Mornington Cup (2400m) to keep him ticking over for his Randwick mission.
“I’m definitely going to accept and I’m pretty sure I’ll run him,” Webb said.
“And then I’ll have two weeks into the Sydney Cup.”
Webb says he does not want to go almost four weeks between runs and the Mornington race is also a chance to compete for good prize money.
“If I don’t run him there it just means I’ve got to gallop him really solidly somewhere,” Webb said.
“Mornington is always a good surface, a good hit-out and it’s a race worth good money.”
Saturday’s Listed race also carries with it a ballot exemption into this year’s Caulfield Cup for the winner, but Webb said that was not the motivation behind the entry.
“I’m not sure he’s quite a Caulfield Cup horse but if he happened to win it, he’s exempt so that’s probably a bonus on the way,” Webb said.
Webb said Annus Mirabilis, who also won the Bagot Handicap over 2800m earlier this year, had come through his 1-1/4 length Adelaide Cup win well.
“For a day or two after he got back he knew he had had a run but then he was absolutely terrific,” he said.
“He’s spent a fair bit of time at the beach and he’s in a really good spot.”
The in-form Regan Bayliss has ridden the stayer in his past five starts for three wins but will miss the Mornington Cup as he will be in Sydney for the Group One meeting at Rosehill.
